A few days later Jack was in the cafeteria when he saw Daniel, Major Coburn, Colonel Ferretti and Colonel Dixon laughing in one of the corners. "No shit, all I saw was this Marine sliding across the mats like a dog on a waxed floor." Coburn guffawed again, and the other men laughed with him.
"What happened?" Jack asked with a smile. He didn't notice Daniel's expression as Coburn retold the story, laughing along at the funny parts. "So, who was this wonder kid?" he asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
"The new anthropologist, Sandburg."
Jack spit out his coffee, taking the napkin a resigned Daniel handed him. "You knew Blair was getting harassed?" He barked, ignoring the surprise from his fellow officers.
"Jack, how old is he? And he was a cop for three years, quit being a mother hen!" Daniel snapped impatiently.
Coburn raised an eyebrow to his friends. "You know what's going on?" and was reassured by the bemused headshakes that they were in the dark too.
"So Sandburg's not in any kind of danger?" Jack finally said after a long moment.
Coburn shook his head. "No, sir. He's holding his own quite well."
"Good!" Jack gave Daniel a placating look. "I've got...meetings, and stuff." He stood up.
Daniel stood as well. "Jack, leave him alone." Oh yes, he knew his lover. He knew that Jack would go 'check' on Blair, and piss his son off in the process. They'd talked about this, the fact that Blair wanted to get in on his own merit-- it was just that Jack wasn't the hands off kind of father.
The men locked eyes, and Jack's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, yeah." He left his half finished cup of coffee and disappeared out the door. Daniel sat back down with a sigh.
"Doc?" came Dixon's voice.
"Yeah?" Daniel asked, sipping his coffee.
Dixon glanced at his friends. "What the fuck was that all about?" There were nods, the other men wanted to know as well.
Daniel shook his head. "I can't tell you that. Just do your jobs and everyone will be cool," he glanced at his watch, "Will you look at the time. See you guys." And he left as well.
The men sat there confused but then Coburn shrugged. "I guess we'll find out when we find out."
*^*
Jim stood on his balcony and stared up at the stars. What was Blair doing? Was he all right? He had tried to call so many times over the past month, and had started feeling vaguely like a stalker when Blair never answered.
He shifted restlessly, leaning against the rail as he searched fruitlessly for his guide's heartbeat. Every time he didn't find it, it was like a stab in the heart and he could feel himself want to wail in frustration.
Thinking about the situation for a long moment, he made a decision. "Okay, that's it. If Mohammed won't come to the mountain, then the mountain will go to Mohammed." He picked up the phone and dialed. "Simon?
Simon scowled at his clock. "It's 2330 Ellison, this had better be important."
Jim smiled wryly. "I need some time off."
"You'd better be going to see Sandburg."
"I'll try my best," Jim promised solemnly.
"Good, I don't want to see you here without him." And the phone went dead. Jim had to laugh, that was Simon for you-- if you fucked up he'd let you know.
Glancing around his loft a little uneasily, Jim was getting the feeling that it was one of the last times he'd ever see it. "Stop it, Ellison. You're going to Colorado Springs, not Peru," He scolded himself. After he had a chat with General Jack O'Neill, he'd find Blair. And grovel. Big time.
*^*
Blair lay in his bed and reviewed the week with amazement. He was enjoying himself, and found himself surprised by it. He was making friends, not only among the scientists and anthropologists but among the military guys too. He grinned. Even Withers.
Rolling onto his side, he reflected on the fact that he'd known that the government was the king of cover-ups, but he'd no idea what things that it had been covering up. And how important that it stayed that way-- the world was so not ready for aliens. He wasn't even sure that he was-- well, for the exception of Teal'c.
Man, he missed Jim.
*^*
In the air, Jim held on as the plane shuddered again. He might not have had his senses anymore but he was intimately acquainted with aircraft in trouble and this one was, big time.
"Please, everyone remain in your seats," The flight attendant called in a voice pitched to be heard over the panic. One of the male attendants stopped beside Jim. "Sir, can I ask you to sit in the emergency aisle, just in case?" The man was scared.
Jim nodded and quickly undid his seatbelt, staggering as the turbulence made the plane jerk and jump alarmingly. He practically was pushed into his seat beside the emergency exit and he rebuckled his seat belt, holding onto the arms of his seat, all of his thoughts on one person.
'I'm so sorry, Chief. I didn't mean to die before I told you how I felt,' Jim thought with regret.
The plane plunged alarmingly and the steward called over the intercom, "Crash positions please!" and then there was chaos and screaming. Jim felt the right engine go, then the left. As the plane plummeted all Jim could do was hang on and think of Blair. The brightness of the city lights startled him as they flashed outside the window, then the lurch as the plane clipped trees. A sudden jerk made everything that wasn't fastened down fly and something hit Jim on the head, making him black out.
*^*
The ringing of the phone made Blair grumble and sit up. He switched on a light and answered it. "It's 2:30 in the fucking morning, this had better be good."
"Sandy?" came Megan's tear drenched voice.
"Megan? What's the matter?"
In Cascade, Megan took a deep breath, "We've just seen the news, and there's been a plane crash in Colorado Springs." She looked up as Rafe placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. "We think Jim was on it."
Blair sat up in shock, then scrambled out of bed, beginning to struggle into his clothes as he gasped, "Ohgod, ohgod. Okay, thanks for calling, Megan. I'll find him. He's not dead, I'd know if he were dead," he snapped his phone shut and hollered, "Dad! Dad!"
Jack jerked awake and jumped out of bed, yanking on some boxers before running down the hallway, Daniel on his heels. "What's the matter, Blair? Are you okay?"
"There's been a plane crash here in the 'Springs. They think Jim's on it." Blair heaved in an unsteady breath. "But he's not dead! I'd know it." He thumped his own chest, eyes bright with fear. "I'd know it here."
Daniel disappeared to get dressed while Jack nodded. "Let me make some calls, then we'll drive you. Okay?"
Blair nodded, not noticing the tears slipping down his face. "Thanks, dad."
*^*
The crash had happened two hours previously and the mass casualty plan for Colorado Springs had been implemented, which meant that rumors were plentiful, but information was hard to come by. Out of the 125 people on board, nineteen had died. It took Jack a long thirty minutes, and all of his local contacts, but he located an unknown man in a coma in one of the local hospitals.
"Yes, this is General O'Neill of NORAD and we think he's one of my men," he spoke into the phone, "Uh huh, thank you. We'll be there shortly." And he hung up. "I think I've found him, kid."
Blair bounced up. "Then let's go."
"Blair, it's serious, he's got a head injury and he's in a coma," Jack paused. "If it's him."
"It's him. I know it," Blair said simply.
*^*
At the hospital Blair swept in, anxiety in every line of his body, Jack and Daniel behind him. Jack grabbed Blair's arm, "Let me." Blair nodded nervously, his eyes huge.
Jack moved up through the sea of clamoring humanity and smiled at the haggard nurse. "I'm General O'Neill. I talked to a Dr. Michaels and he said he might have one of my men here, but he's unidentified."
She looked at the computer. "Yes sir, it's room 405. The elevators are over there--" She pointed, "Push the button for the 4th floor."
At the door to the room Blair hesitated, placing his hand on the closed door for a moment before pushing it open. The doctor looked up from the bedside of a man who had a bandaged head. "Are you General O'Neill?"
Jack stepped forward and opened his mouth when Blair rushed up to the bed. "Jim!" He began to check the unresponsive man over. "What did you give him?"
The doctor blinked. "Not much as yet. We butterfly bandaged the head wound and gave him saline solution..." He stopped when Blair began to stroke Jim's face and croon, "Hey big guy, come back to me. It's Blair, I'm here. Come on, Jim."
The doctor looked bewildered. "The man's in a coma, what does he think that's going to do?"
"He knows what he's doing," Daniel said firmly.
'I hope', Jack thought as he stood with his arms crossed as he watched his son.
Daniel stepped up beside Blair and watched as the younger man totally focused on the big man on the bed. Suddenly he jumped-- on the floor on the other side was a huge black panther with blue eyes. "Blair?"
"I see him," Blair said and intensified his efforts.
After a few minutes the big man jerked slightly, then moaned, "Sandburg?" The panther disappeared.
"Yeah, big guy, it's me. You had me worried sick! What are you trying to do to me? Give me a heart attack?" he scolded, tears of relief streaming down his face as the blue eyes of the man he loved fluttered open.
The doctor came out of his momentary shock and began to check Jim over, shaking his head and mumbling under his breath, "I've never seen anything like it. How are you, son?" he asked Jim, shining his little flashlight into Jim's eyes, making him jerk back.
"I'd feel better if you'd quit that!" he growled. He impatiently let the doctor do his thing, keeping his attention on his guide, this new one with shorter hair and the new assurance that cloaked him. "When did you cut your hair?" he asked him.
Blair looked confused for a moment. "What? Oh, a couple of weeks ago. Do you hate it?" he asked anxiously.
Jim shook his head dumbly-- if anything, it made his guide more handsome. "It's good." He liked that he could see the silver hoops that his guide wore in his ears.
The doctor finished checking Jim out and Blair asked, "Can I get him out of here?" There were things to be said, things to be revealed, and he didn't want it to happen in the hospital.
The doctor gave him a look. "Let me check on his test results, but don't get your hopes up." And he left the room.
A new voice at the door said, "We have a few questions first. The doc said you were awake." The man was wearing a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) windbreaker. "I'm Agent Donovan, and you must be our hero."
"Hero?" Blair repeated, glancing at the Sentinel who had gone stone-faced.
The man held up a sealed baggie with what looked like Jim's wallet inside, "This came from a man's blazer worn by a pregnant woman who was carried off of the aircraft after it crashed. And from the people I've interviewed so far, she wasn't the only one helped."
"I don't remember anything," Jim said flatly. The smell of blood and spilled avgas and the cries of the injured and dying echoed in his mind, just like in Peru, and the stress was making his senses spike all over the place. The only thing keeping him sane was Blair.
The NTSB agent had compassionate eyes. "Okay, if you remember anything, call me," he held out his card and the baggie and Daniel stepped forward to take them. The man nodded once, then left.
Jack looked at his son. "I'm gonna speak to him for second," And he quickly stepped out the door as well.
Jim gripped Blair's arm. "Chief, I wanna get out of here," he begged hoarsely. Then his senses were overwhelmed by the mix of scents, the strongest being a mix of Blair's and the strange man's, and the scent of sex. He jerked back from Blair, hurt in his eyes. "Never mind. I guess you've found someone else."
Blair was confused. "Huh? What?"
"You and your lover can just go back from where you've been hiding," Jim snapped back, turning his head and trying to keep his hurt from spilling over his guide.
"Lover? What in the hell are you babbling about, man?"
"Just go," Jim gritted out.
The younger man's mouth dropped open, then he flushed red. "Fine. Fine! If that's the way you want. Forgive me all to hell for worrying about you!" And he rushed out of the room.
*^*
Daniel's eyes rounded in alarm. "Um no. It's not what you think."
"I can smell him on you," Jim gritted out.
"Well, yes, you can. But it's not like that. We're living together-"
"And more," Jim spat bitterly.
Daniel was trying to think what was causing this, and he blushed as he realized that Jim was smelling him and Jack. And the fact that they hadn't had time to shower before coming to the hospital. If he had questioned before if Jack and Blair were related, he didn't now. He moved closer to the bed, his blue eyes sympathetic, "Blair and I aren't together, and if you'd asked before you jumped to conclusions you would've known that."
Jim refused to reply.
Sighing sharply, Daniel threw up his hands. "Fine, be an ass. I'm going to find Blair." And he spun on his heel and went after his friend.
Meanwhile, Jack had been speaking to the NTSB agent when Blair came rushing out, face flushed and eyes bright with pain. He held up a hand to the Agent. "Just a sec. Blair?" Jack called.
"I'm gonna take a walk, dad," Blair threw over his shoulder as he disappeared around the corner.
Jack stood indecisively for a moment before Daniel stepped out of the room and asked, "Where's Blair?"
"He just barreled down the hallway then turned right. He said he wanted a walk. What's going on?"
Daniel headed down the hallway. "Jim misunderstood something. I'll take care of him, Jack." And he disappeared around the corner.
Utterly confused, Jack shook his head then turned back to the NTSB agent, holding out his hand. "Hey, thanks for answering my questions."
The other man smiled, "Not a problem General O'Neill. This is the first major crash that we've had since 9-11. We want to make sure we have the entire picture."
Jack pulled out his card and handed it to Agent Donovan. "Detective Ellison will be staying with me. Make sure the media doesn't get this."
"You've got it." The men shook hands, then Jack stepped back in the room.
Jim glared at him with accusing eyes. "I heard you. You're General O'Neill! Why did you request my service records? And what do you have to do with Blair?"
Jack glared back. "That's just gonna have to wait. What did you say to hurt Blair?"
The younger man looked away. "I came here for nothing. Blair has everything he needs," the hurt in his voice, and the stiffness of his posture made Jack curious.
"Then tell me what you think you know?"
Jim huffed out a sigh. "Blair and that other man are lovers. He doesn't need or want me."
This made Jack chuckle. "Blair? And Danny? No way, buddy."
"I can tell," Jim replied, misery making his voice crack. He felt as if his heart had been ripped out.
Now Jack could play dumb and frequently did, but he thought he saw what had happened. "Listen Ellison, this is a sensitive subject. But it isn't Blair and Daniel." He glanced at the door to make sure it was closed. "It's Daniel and me."
"Huh?"
"Blair's my son. Daniel's ~my~ lover," Jack added patiently.
Jim stared at the gray haired man, and then he flushed slightly. He was just now beginning to separate the scents and he could smell the scent of the other man absolutely permeating this one.
Oh.
Embarrassed, Jim blurted, "But you're a General!"
Jack snorted, "And I'm gay, what of it?"
Jim processed this for a long moment. Oh shit, who was he to throw stones? He was a cop, and apparently he was gay now. He grimaced. "I fucked it up with him, didn't I?"
"Oh yeah," Jack agreed blithely, "You fucked up good."
"Great," Jim said morosely.
*^*
Daniel walked outside to find Blair holding up the brick wall, talking on his cellphone as he let his friends in Cascade know that Jim was alive and well. He waited until Blair hung up. "Hey."
"Hey," Blair said shortly.
Daniel leaned against the wall next to Blair. "So, guess what?"
Blair grunted.
"Jim thought you and I were lovers."
"I got that."
Daniel blushed slightly. "He smelled Jack and me. And I guess you and Jack smell similar."
Suddenly, through his anger and hurt, Blair understood. Jim's senses had to be all over the place with him being gone and then the crash, plus with Blair living with Daniel and his dad... "Oh man."
*^*
Jim leaned back as he tried to get copmfortable and wished he could take back everything he said. It was hard to take your size 13 shoe out of your mouth when your pride got in the way. The door opened and Blair stuck his head in. "You ready to get out of here?"
"Chief, I'm sorry," Jim blurted, vastly relieved to see his guide.
Blair waved his hand. "We'll discuss it later. Dad's getting his truck-- we're going to try to avoid the newshounds."
Jim grimaced at the mention of the press. "I'm glad." He swung his legs over the side of the bed, then he smiled crookedly. "My clothes are at the crash site."
"Shit, man," Blair smacked himself on the forehead, which made Jim smile. "Let me get you some scrubs." And he disappeared again.
*^*
Back at the house there was a tired quiet as Blair got Jim some water and his pain meds. Jim was on the couch, and Blair sat by him, watching his Sentinel with an eagle eye until the water was finished.
Jack took a sip of his own drink, and asked, "So, tell us what you think happened to the plane."
Blair shot his dad a look but Jim shook his head. "I don't know. We were at 30,000 feet when the plane took a nosedive. There were a lot of people not buckled in and some injuries. I have training as a medic and I tried to help the best I could. The flight crew got everyone strapped in, then the pilot said that everything was fine," he gazed out the window, and felt Blair's hand on his arm. He sent his guide a thankful smile.
"Jack says the NTSB isn't sure yet what happened. Just that the plane lost power, came down and clipped the trees," Daniel said softly.
"Oh yeah, I remember that. I think it was something with the engines, they all began to sound bad, then started to quit one at a time. Then we were down." A painful pause, "And there were screams, and the smell of avgas." Jim shook his head. "It was a nightmare, like Peru all over again," his eyes were haunted.
"That's enough, Jim. Dad, he's done for right now," Blair insisted, not wanting to see Jim bleed internally like this.
"Blair, he needs to talk about this now," Jack looked seriously at his son. "Trust me."
Jim took Blair's hand. "He's right, Chief. It's okay." He sighed, unknowingly squeezing his guide's hand hard. "I heard the pregnant woman behind me crying and I realized that someone was alive and I could make a difference. This time."
"The NTSB agent said you were a hero," Jack said softly.
The detective shook his head. "It wasn't just me, there were four or five other guys. We kept carrying people out, then there was a flash, and then there was Sandburg. I don't remember what happened between the flash and when I woke up though."
"I'm sure it'll be on the news in the morning," Daniel said dryly.
*^*
Jim sat uneasily on the bed. He was wearing borrowed pajama pants and a sleeveless undershirt, and he was exhausted. A knock made him look up from his contemplation of the floor. "Yeah."
Blair opened the door, the sheer joy that swamped him at the fact that Jim was here and alive made him breathless. "How are you?"
"My head hurts but I'm ok."
Staying in the doorway, Blair shifted uneasily. "Um good." He took a deep breath, but was interrupted.
"Chief, I'm sorry," Jim said quietly, "Everything's so out of whack, and I said some things..."
Coming into the bedroom, Blair sat beside him and rubbed his leg, needing to touch, to make sure that this wasn't a dream. "It's okay. It's kind of a validation that Jack is my dad."
"I'm confused. I thought you didn't know who your dad was," Jim said.
"It's a complicated story, but Jack was always a possibility."
There was a long silence, then Jim said, "You know what I was thinking when the plane started to go down?" He turned to face Blair. He wanted his guide to know that he was serious.
The intensity in Jim's eyes made Blair's heart beat faster, and he swallowed hard. "What?"
"It wasn't that I was scared. Well, I was scared, but not just that. My biggest regret was that I never got to tell you how I felt. How I feel about you." Jim could hear Blair's heart beating frantically and he let himself take one of Blair's hands, automatically trying to soothe. "I love you Blair Jacob Sandburg. It took me awhile to realize it. When it comes to feelings I'm not really quick, but you knew that."
Jim loved him. But was it the kind of love that Blair was craving from his Sentinel? "I love you too, big guy. I am so sorry about the thesis and everything. I really didn't mean for it to go down the way it did. I..." and he found his babbling apology stifled by his Sentinel's fierce kiss. When Jim pulled back Blair found that his brain was scrambled, and that he was smiling. "Wow."
"Yeah?" Jim asked, dipping his head for another kiss, the taste of his guide addictive. It felt like he was on fire, and he was aching for more. Pulling back, he looked into Blair's starry eyes and whispered, "I need to touch you. I need to feel you. Please, Blair." He needed to put his own scent on his Guide, to mark him as his own. A little primitive, as Blair would say, but there you go.
"Okay," Blair whispered back. He found himself on his back, his t-shirt pulled off and his Sentinel burying his nose in his chest hair. "That tickles," He complained breathlessly, then he gasped as Jim's tongue found his nipples and his nipple ring. "Ohgodohgodohgod." Ohyeaahhhh....Arousal was making him incoherent.
Jim reveled in the smell and taste of Blair, imprinting on his guide. He nuzzled his nose into Blair's armpits, eliciting a moaning laugh then he kissed his way down, carefully jerking Blair's boxers off. "Oh god, you smell so good." He closed his eyes and rested his head on Blair's thigh, suddenly dizzy from the overwhelming smells and sensations.
"Jim?"
He shook his head. "I'm gonna come just from doing this. I've gotta stop for a second."
Blair laughed softly. "Come up here."
Jim lifted his head and stared into Blair's eyes. They were dark with arousal, and love. "Tell me what you want."
"You, now c'mere," Blair pulled Jim up and kissed him hard.
Pulling back, Jim grinned wickedly at his guide and undulated against him, pressing his cock hard against Blair's and making them both gasp. The sensations were incredible, and as Blair pressed back the two men entangled their hands and thrust in union. Stormy blue eyes met hot blue and something civilized snapped. Unable to control themselves they writhed against each other, all teasing gone as their arousal built hotter, brighter until Blair arched and his cock emptied its come between them. "Ohgod, Jiiiiiimmmm."
Jim was shaking, the sound of Blair's voice and the smell of Blair's hot cream throwing him over the edge and he could feel his cock jerking as his own come was pumped all over his guide. Smiling, Jim rubbed their come covered bellies and chests together, mingling their scents and in his mind, forever marking his guide. Sometimes he loved this primitive part of being a Sentinel. A shooting pain behind his eyes made him wince, and he felt Blair stiffen in alarm.
"Jim?" The guide unlocked his hand and gripped Jim's chin. He could see love and satisfaction, but underlying it all was pain and exhaustion, emotional as well as physical. This forcibly reminded him that Jim had survived a very harrowing day and he'd just jumped the poor guy. He could push back his own needs to make sure his beloved Sentinel rested and healed.
"Roll off, love. I'll clean us up, then we'll sleep," Blair ordered, sliding off the bed when Jim rolled to his back. Before he headed into the bathroom, Blair poked a curious finger into the blended mess of come on his chest and stuck it into his mouth. Taste exploded on his tongue, not unpleasant but musky and sweet, surprising him.
Jim's low moan of "Jesus, Blair," made him smile.
"Now you're in me and on me," he said with satisfaction. Blair had known that his Sentinel had been claiming him by scent, and it had been hot. He grinned and bounced out of the way before Jim could reach for him, grabbing his robe and disappeared out of the bedroom for a minute before reappearing with a wet, warm washcloth.
Jim's eyes spiked hot as Blair dropped the robe, naked and clean, his chest hair swirled damply from where he'd cleansed himself. He knelt on the bed and cleaned his lover thoroughly, dropping the washcloth over onto the floor. Then he snuggled in beside Jim, yawning widely. "Sleep."
"Okay, Chief," Jim whispered, the need for rest becoming almost overwhelming.
"Mmmm..." Blair sighed in delight as Jim wriggled around to lay his head on his chest. "Love you big guy." He stroked Jim's hair and both men fell into deep restful sleep for the first time in a long time.
Minutes later Daniel knocked quietly but didn't hear anything. He silently opened the door and peeked inside, then smiled. The two men had obviously spoken, and were now wrapped up together. Shutting the door, Daniel turned and jumped as he almost ran over Jack. He held up a finger to his lips and pointed to their bedroom. Once there and the door was shut, Daniel laughed quietly. "I guess they talked, they were cuddled around each other like, well, like us."
The older man sighed and sank to the bed. "I don't want him to hurt Blair again."
Daniel sat beside his lover and nudged his shoulder, "Remember what you said? Blair is almost thirty and he loves Jim. And its obvious Jim loves him. They're going to have to live their own lives."
"Yeah, well, I've got my eye on Ellison. He better not step out of line," Jack grumbled, "And since he's exactly what we're looking for at the SGC, I'm going to be in a position to make sure that groundpounder doesn't screw up," he added, a note of profound satisfaction in his voice.
Surprised, Daniel thought about what Jack had said and shook his head. "You are a devious bastard" he said admiringly. "No wonder I love you. With Jim's talents, he'd be perfect."
"Not just that," Jack said, pushing Daniel onto the bed and kissing him thoroughly. "I've got his service record, and there's a lot of raw talent there. Between him and Blair, I think we've got half of helluva new team."
Daniel smiled up at Jack, admiring the way his silver haired Machiavelli thought. It was such a fucking turn on. "Tell me later," he ordered huskily, arching his hips up to rub his cock against his lover's.
Jack smiled wolfishly. "Your wish is my command," and he dipped his head for another kiss.
*^*
Jim jerked awake, heart racing from the nightmare. Disoriented, he frantically tried to identify where he was when he realized he heard the measured and reassuring heartbeat of his guide underneath his ear.
"It's just a dream, go back to sleep," Blair murmured drowsily, tightening his arm around Jim's shoulders.
Relaxing, Jim let his muscles slowly unclench and automatically cast his hearing to check his surroundings. He could hear the gentle snores of a man with allergies, and the quiet breathing of the General. He snorted to himself, he couldn't believe that Blair, of all people, had a General for a father. He turned his hearing down and contented himself with listening to his guide's heartbeat and breathing, letting them lull him into a dreamless sleep.
*^*
Jack was drinking his first cup of coffee when his phone rang. "O'Neill."
"General O'Neill?" came a perky female voice.
Shit. Reporters already. "Yeah."
"General, we understand one of your people was on board the aircraft that crashed last night. Can we have his name?"
Jack thought for a minute. "No." There was a minute of astounded silence then the beginning babble of questions and he hung up.
"So, they've started already?" came Daniel's gravelly pre-morning coffee voice from behind him.
Turning, Jack smiled. "Yeah. I'm gonna call the PIO and have all of my calls transferred to him for the next couple of days."
Daniel sipped the coffee he'd poured and nodded. "I guess I'll go knock on Blair's door. We've got to go in, he's supposed to give a presentation for SG-5."
"Go in where?" Jim asked.
Jack and Daniel both looked over in surprise. "Hey, how are you feeling?" Daniel asked. They could see the bruising starting to form around the detective's eye, but he looked alert and rested.
"I'm doing okay. Where is Blair going?"
Jack raised an eyebrow at the tone. "Blair has a new job."
"What?" Jim couldn't even conceive that Blair wasn't going home with him. The bedroom door opening behind him made him spin around, only to smile indulgently as he watched the much-missed sight of his sleepy guide starting his morning routine. Jack and Daniel didn't attempt to hide their grins as they watched the big man stare sappily at Blair.
Stumbling around Jim, Blair wandered into the kitchen to start the teapot. Something not right impinged on his sleepy consciousness and he turned around to squint at his audience. "What?"
"Ellison was grilling us about your new job," Jack said blandly.
Blair's eyes widened as he wakened abruptly, "Um... okay. What are you telling him?"
"Nothing, yet," Daniel said. The phone rang and he went to answer it.
"You're not coming back to Cascade?" Jim asked his Guide incredulously.
"Listen, Jim..." Blair began, then stumbled to a stop. He stared into Jim's eyes, and could see his own insecurities, fear and love reflected back at him. "This is important."
"What you do in Cascade, with me, is important too, Chief," Jim said quietly.
"But here I can be an anthropologist! Daniel says I can submit my revised thesis and get my doctorate." He saw the hurt in Jim's eyes and lifted a hand to cup his cheek. "You're so important to me, but I don't think I can go back to Cascade. Not now," he suddenly brightened. "You can move here!"
Not willing to compromise the happiness he saw in his Guide's face, Jim asked, "What would I do here? Be a cop in Colorado Springs?" He leaned into Blair's hand, eyes serious. "I can't be a good cop without you beside me."
Blair all but melted. "That's like, the nicest thing you've ever said to me, big guy."
Jack held up his hand. "Before the sap level gets out of hand, I have an idea," he interjected dryly.
Both men looked at him, Blair with sudden understanding and Jim with confusion. "I've got a job offer for you, Captain Ellison," Jack said, then looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Well, you're a little long in the tooth for a Captain, maybe a Major. I'll have to check into it."
Jim frowned. "What kind of job? All that I know about you is that you have an extensive black ops background and that you're in charge of some kind of top secret program."
"Why am I'm not surprised," Jack said, which made Daniel roll his eyes.
"You dog. You called one of your old Ranger buds, didn't you?" Blair asked admiringly.
"I can neither confirm nor deny." Jim smirked. "But, I still have connections."
"The question is," Daniel began, waiting until he received Jim and Blair's attention, "are you ready to give everything up for something that we can't tell you about? Something that involves great personal risks, but great rewards as well."
"That's a good question," Jack told his lover, his tone impressed.
Daniel grinned. "Thanks, I thought so."
The detective only shook his head. "It's a no brainer. Wherever Sandburg goes, I go."
Jack went over to the roll top desk and rummaged through it, before cursing under his breath and going over to his brief case to pull out a file. He pointed to the dining room table. "Shove some of those books to the side and read the disclaimers, then sign them, then we'll eat breakfast and on Monday we'll take you to the mountain. It'll be easier to show you than tell you."
Bemusedly, Jim went over to the table and sat down, helping Blair and Daniel move some of the books out of the way. As Blair and Daniel chatted over breakfast preparation he read over the disclaimers, didn't find anything alarming, and signed them. He looked up and saw that Blair was watching him, a pensive look in his eyes. "What's up?"
The younger man glanced at his father, then down at the floor before looking back at him. "It's dangerous. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to rush into this. Plus Simon is going to have a cow."
Jim focused his attention on Blair. "You know what this is about, and I trust you, Chief." He shrugged philosophically. "Simon is just going to have to deal," and he basked in Blair's bright smile.
*^*
Jack listened patiently, nodding his head and he wandered the kitchen. "Uh huh. Okay, Elias," he said. He amused himself briefly by pinching Daniel on the ass as he was making breakfast, causing the archeologist to yelp and Blair and Jim to hide their smiles behind their mugs.
"Okay, Captain, I get the picture. Let me talk to him and I'll call you back." More babbling in his ear. He rolled his eyes. "Good-bye Captain Elias!" Jack finished loudly and he carefully put the phone down.
"The media getting Frank down?" Daniel asked as he slid the eggs onto a plate.
Jack chuckled as he went over to the dining room table and straddled one of the chairs backwards. "Okay, Ellison, it's like this..." he began.
Jim sighed, placing his coffee cup onto the table. "I need to talk to the media."
"You need to talk to the media. And the NTSB," Jack agreed, his lips quirking at the resigned look on the former Ranger's face. "Elias says he's arranged it where you can speak to the reporters all at once. And only one guy asking questions, or lady, I'm not sure."
Blair placed a hand over Jim's. "Better you than me, big guy." he said, remembering his own unsatisfactory press conference.
Having never liked the press, Jack snorted agreement. "Amen."
*^*
Keeping his eyesight dialed down against the glare, Jim shifted in the hard-backed chair. Geez, this was taking forever. The wire to the mike was chafing his neck and ear and he was beginning to feel cranky.
"Mr. Ellison, are you ready?" came the reporter's voice.
"Go ahead."
The underwhelming enthusiasm almost made Blair laugh out loud, but he managed to steady himself as he listened to the interview.
"Good morning America, this is Kyle Branigan with CSTV in Colorado Springs. I'm here with Detective James Ellison, one of the survivors of Skyblue Air flight 49."
The reporter turned to Jim. "What went through your mind when the plane was about to crash?"
Hmm. Good question, Jim thought.
"I was thinking that I had regrets, that there were things that I had left undone and unsaid," he answered honestly, his eyes going unerringly to his smiling Guide's.
The reported nodded like a bobblehead, "Several passengers are calling you a hero after the crash, including one Amy Quinn. She was the pregnant woman that you rescued." The reported beamed at the camera. "And she had her baby yesterday, a boy that she named James Ellison Quinn."
Jack grimaced and leaned over to Daniel. "Oy." The archeologist smothered a chuckle. Nothing like getting ambushed on national TV.
Jim blinked. "Um, wow, that's great. I hope he's umm, healthy, and happy."
"What were you thinking when you carried her out of the wreck?"
"I really don't remember," Jim lied. "I was just doing my job."
"What do you thing happened to the airplane?"
Jim fought the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm just a simple cop, not an engineer. I don't know what happened to the plane, but I'm sure the NTSB will figure it out."
The reporter was finally catching the clue that Jim was there under duress and his producer was indicating the interview needed to be ended. "Thank you, Detective Ellison, and this is Kyle Branigan for CSTV in Colorado Springs." There was a short silence, then the yell of, "Ok, we're off air."
Jim dragged the mike off his shirt collar with a feeling that he'd been let out of prison. "Thank Christ."
Branigan stood and held out his hand. "Thanks for the interview, Detective."
Jim gave the other man's hand a quick hard shake then he stalked over to where Blair, the General and Daniel were standing. "Can we go?"
The plaintiveness in his voice made him sound like a five-year-old, and Jack chuckled. "You got it Ellison. Now you talk to the NTSB and I think we're finished."
"Not soon enough," Jim grunted.
As they headed to the car Blair bounced alongside, "So, you have a baby named after you."
Jim groaned and Blair exchanged grins with his dad. "No man, I think it's cool. Little Jimmy Quinn." He tilted his head. "At least he's still Irish."
"So are you kid, half Irish anyway," Jack pointed out, making Jim laugh.
Blair stopped and pretended to be horrified. "Oh my god! I have the Jewish Diaspora and Oliver Cromwell's persecution of the Irish! I'm doomed!" and he and Daniel burst into laughter.
Jack raised an eyebrow towards Jim, and the men shared a shrug. "Must be an anthro joke," Jack said with a grin.
"You know that they're faking it," Daniel pointed out to Blair. The other men smirked.
Blair's grin matched his father's. "They both graduated from college with honors, you'd think they'd know by now that they can't fool us."
"Busted," Jack said sorrowfully, sharing a commiserating smile with Jim as he climbed into the vehicle.
*^*
Jim wandered the house restlessly, he was slept out and his head still hurt enough that he didn't want to read. It was a nice house and all, but he was bored. The General, Daniel and Blair had been called in to NORAD and the General had advised him to stay inside, "Just in case." Whatever the fuck THAT meant. So, now he was going stir crazy.
"Hell, he's got satellite, see what games are on," Jim said out loud to himself as he sat on the couch and started to flip through channels until he got to ESPN. "The Jags and the Dolphins, excellent." And as he settled himself in for the long haul, the sound of keys in the door made him whip his head around.
Cassie unlocked the door and called out, "Uncle Jack, are you home?" She stepped inside and closed the door, turned around and froze. "Who in the hell are you?" she demanded.
Jim watched as she went to a defensive stance and brought her keys to stick between her fingers for self-defense. Smart girl. He held up his hands. "I'm a guest. My name is Jim Ellison and I'm a cop with the Cascade, Washington Police Department."
She stared at him suspiciously. "Where's your badge?"
Shit. "Um, in the bedroom?" He grinned, a little embarrassed.
Cassie knew that Jack had the best security that government money could buy, and she could sense the big man's honest embarrassment. "Okay, why are you here?" She stashed her keys in her pocket and dropped her book bag on the bar.
"That's it?" Jim asked disapprovingly. "How do you know I'm not a psycho or something?"
"I've met psychos." she said bluntly. "I'm Cassie by the way. Jack's not my real uncle, he's like an honorary uncle. He and Uncle Daniel and Uncle George and Aunt Sam."
Jim shook his head. "I haven't met anyone yet, except for the General's son."
"Charlie?" Cassie demanded.
"No, his son Blair."
"You sure we're talking about the same Jack?" Cassie asked, her voice confused. "Hang on, I'm thirsty." She disappeared into the kitchen, then came back out and sat in the leather chair facing him, crossing her legs and wriggling to get comfortable. "Okay, tell me your story."
Amused, Jim got comfortable as well. "Okay, you know that my name is Jim, and that I'm a cop. I was in the plane crash that happened Thursday."
Cassie's eyes rounded. "Wow. And Uncle Jack took you in?"
"Well, yes and no. I'm not sure of the whole story myself, only that Blair is Jack's son. And Blair is-- or was-- my partner on the police force."
"Hmm," Cassie said, drinking her water. "Okay, this is what I know. Jack was married and had a son named Charlie. He accidentally died about ten years ago from a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head." Her voice was a matter of fact, but her eyes were sad.
Jim hissed in a breath. "Shit." He'd been to several accidental shootings of children as a cop-- it was a brutal and tragic scene. He made a face when he realized he'd just cursed. "Sorry."
Cassie waved a hand to indicate it wasn't important. "So, tell me about Blair." And she watched with amusement as the big cop brightened. He spoke at length about his partner, what he was like, what he liked to do, what a pain in the ass he sometimes was. As she listened she could see the love in Jim's eyes for his friend and was a little envious.
"How long have you known him?" she asked.
"He's been my roommate and partner for three years," he smiled. "He's not exactly a cop, but he's been doing a ride along for his anthro thesis."
As a college student herself, this piqued Cassie's interest, "Really? What's his thesis on?"
"Sentinels," Jim said promptly-- he wasn't going to lie anymore. "They're sort of watchmen for their tribes. They have heightened senses. Usually all five."
"Neat," Cassie said. "I'm working on getting my BA in Mathematical theory. At least I was," she sighed. "I think I'm just going to chuck it all and join the Air Force."
Ah, the reason why she was visiting her Uncle Jack. Jim leaned back. "A college degree goes a long way."
"Not from where I'm from," Cassie said cryptically.
"Okay, but you're here now," Jim pointed out. "College opens doors, now and down the road. And if you don't like Math, then try something else. What else do you like to do?"
Taking a swig from her bottle, Cassie shrugged. "I'm getting a 4.89 average. I'm good at it all so far."
"So you're smart. So are a thousand other kids, what do you like?"
Surprised that she felt so comfortable with this man, Cassie placed the water bottle down and looked at him seriously, "I want to be an archeologist like Uncle Daniel. He's so passionate about it." She gave Jim a sly glance. "Like he's passionate about Uncle Jack."
Jim's lips twisted with humor, but he kept his face still. "Why Cassie, I have no idea what you're talking about." He tilted his head and grinned. "They're home."
She jumped up as she heard Jack's voice yell, "Cassie! Move your damn car!"
Cassie giggled and looked at Jim. "I park it there just to hear him yell."
The door slammed open and Daniel stepped inside. "Cass! How are you?" he asked as she threw herself into his arms for a hug.
"I'm great!" She pulled away to hug Jack, then she grinned and held out her hand to the stranger. "You must be Blair. Jim's told me ALL about you. I'm Cassie."
Blair grinned back at the pretty brunette. "It's all lies. Nice to meet you Cassie." He looked at Jim. "And here I thought you'd be bored."
"Nah, she's pretty interesting. After she stopped wanting to call the National Guard when she found me on the couch," Jim added drolly.
There was easy laughter as everyone got situated in the living room, Cassie snuggled against Jack's legs as they sat got comfortable. He ran an affectionate hand over her smooth hair. "So, you went to see Carter first, right?"
Stiffening, Cassie shook her head. "I can't talk to her about this, Uncle Jack."
Daniel leaned forward. "This...?"
She looked at Jim, then at her uncles, "I'm going to finish this year out, then I'm changing my major to Archeology."
Jack covered his eyes and Daniel looked thrilled. "Really?" He said, then he groaned. "Sam's gonna kill me."
"Ya think?" Jack said acerbically.
Blair was confused. "So what if Cassie changes her Major? It happens a million times a year, no one ever died from it." He'd taught for years, he knew the system almost better than anyone.
Daniel sighed. "Sam has her heart set on Cassie doing great things."
Jim looked at Cassie's face and he was unsurprised to see resignation in her eyes. He'd seen the same look in his own eyes while he was growing up. "I think that Cassie is old enough, and mature enough to talk to this Sam and tell her what her dreams are. Her dreams, not Sam's. And that if Sam loves her, then she'll be happy for her."
Jack grunted. "I'll use that argument if that's what you want to do, Cass."
Cassie looked at Jack with adoration in her eyes. "You'll go with me?" and giggled when he smacked her with the flat of his hand.
"Stupid question."
She looked at Blair, then craned her head to look at Jack. "I can see the resemblance, but how come you never told me you had another son?"
Jack took a swig of his beer. "So. I met this flower child named Naomi Sandburg back in 1968."
"Oooohh, ANCIENT history." Cassie grinned as the men all groaned.
"Shut up, kid," Jim complained. "I want to hear this." She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Okay, okay. Quiet in the peanut gallery," Jack grinned at Blair. "So, after a year Naomi comes back through and says, "Hey, want you to meet this kid." And she handed me this baby with this dark curly hair that swirled over his head. "This is Blair." His eyes softened as he gazed at his son. "I asked her if he was mine, and she said he was a 'child of the people'. But I could do the math and it was a good possibility he was mine."
Blair snorted. "It's a good possibility that I could've had any number of fathers."
"Pipe down kid, who's telling this story?" Jack griped. "Anyway, I guess Naomi trusted me enough to let me keep him when she'd go on trips. He spent a lot of summers with me, then with Sara and I. He was there when we got married, in fact." He took a sip of his beer. "After Charlie died there was a misunderstanding and we didn't see each other for ten years. Then he became braver than me and visited, and now he works at the mountain."
It was short and sweet, and Jim had a feeling that there was a lot between the lines that hadn't been said and he made a mental note to dig it out of his guide.
Cassie smiled. "I'm always in favor of nepotism."
Jack gave his son a narrow look. "It's only nepotism if anyone knew that he's my kid."
"Hey, I'm a great anthropologist, I don't need to hang on your coat tails," Blair said indignantly.
"Which translated means that Darwin is taking the hard road, yet again," Jim said with a knowing look.
Blair stuck his tongue out at his Sentinel, and blushed slightly at the heated look he received in return. "Cut it out."
*^*
Cassie and Blair bonded immediately and after a raucous dinner he towed her into the backyard and had a heart to heart about what her options were for college and after. When she came back in with him later, you could tell she was ready to fight for what she wanted.
Jim and Blair stayed at the house, making out on the couch while Jack and Daniel took Cassie over to Sam's. It was late when Jack and Daniel returned, weary but triumphant.
Blair sat up from where he'd been lying in Jim's lap. "How did it go?"
Daniel tossed his windbreaker onto the bar. "Sam was kinda upset."
This understatement made Jack snort. "She felt like we were undermining what she and Janet had decided for Cassie."
"Cassie held firm, and after Jack pointed out that Sam was acting like Jacob..." Daniel shot Jack a look. "I think you hurt her by with that, by the way."
Jack shrugged. "It was true. She'll get over it when she sees that Cassie is happy. Just like Jake did."
Jim nodded. "It took my dad some time, but he finally got over the fact that I didn't want to follow in his footsteps." He shuddered theatrically. "A suit. Christ, a fate worse than death."
Blair chuckled as he hauled Jim up, "I think you look great in a suit. C'mon Jim, it's bed time."
"You know who wears the pants in that relationship," Jack told Daniel in a not very subtle aside as he headed down the hall to the bedroom.
Daniel exchanged a smile with Blair. "Yeah, it's always the anthropologist," he said dryly.
Jack was already in the bedroom, and he stuck his head out and grinned. "You betcha."